Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is looking forward to compete with big car makers like Honda and Toyota as it is eyeing to launch the sports luxury car Kizashi in India in 2010.

Kizashi has already been launched by Suzuki in the US market.

The new model will be launched in India by the coming year at the Auto Expo event. The new Kizashi is powered with a 2.4 litre engine, which meets the Euro 4 emission norms developed by Suzuki. A six-speed manual is available in the car and the automatic one-based on CVT technology will be optional. The new Kizashi will sport a large tyre size of a 21inch wheel as Honda Civic has only 15inch.

Maruti’s flagship sedan SX4 introduced in 2007 lost its impulse after the initial pick up and same with the Baleno sedan Model, which failed to impress the customers while its competitor Honda City sedan has been holding on to its leadership position for the past decade.

Maruit’s cars have been rated below average on quality and performance and unable to match with its other Japanese co-products like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda City. Maruti only manages to sell 600-700 SX4’s in the Indian market but Honda sells 2,500-3,000 Honda City cars every month.

According to company sources, Kizashi, this was first unveiled in Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007, is anticipated that it is the first-all-wheel-drive luxury car in India. The new Kizashi will cost around Rs 10-13 lakh.